“The scheduling and publishing of Instagram content has been the number one request for our 16 million customers,” said Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes, in a statement. “Now, they can manage large volumes of content, multiple team members and multiple Instagram accounts with ease and security. Hootsuite is excited to partner with Instagram to make this happen.”

In the past the only option was to rely on push notification reminders to publish pre-formatted content saved in draft form, a workaround for sure but not optimal, especially for social media managers handling multiple accounts. The functionality is not available in the application itself, nor is it available for the ad platform.

Another new feature will be Business Discovery, which will allow businesses to “discover and read the profile info and media of other business profiles.”

]]>https://carminemedia.com/2018/01/30/instagram-finally-allows-users-to-schedule-posts/feed/0carminemediaInstagramHootsuite instagram scheduling7 Ways to Use Social Media for Community Eventshttps://carminemedia.com/2017/05/07/7-ways-to-use-social-media-for-community-events/
https://carminemedia.com/2017/05/07/7-ways-to-use-social-media-for-community-events/#respondSun, 07 May 2017 21:18:00 +0000http://carminemedia.com/?p=69447

Make sure you are all rowing in the same direction when using social media to promote events

Recently a friend asked me for suggestions for using social media for community events, specifically a local, community-based rowing crew club in which she and her children are involved. Her goals: more exposure, promote programs, increase interest in membership. Her audience, junior high and high school students and their parents. They were using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A quick review of their website and accounts produced the following recommendations.

Include Links to your Social Profiles on your Website

When using social media at events remember this, if people don’t know you have social media profiles, they aren’t going to follow you there. All social media platforms provide users with brand guidelines and downloadable icons for free. Take advantage of this.

If you’re using WordPress for your website there are loads of plug-ins and widgets that make including them simple. Please don’t go out and steal icons from Google image search, they will not be scalable, the most recent or legal. That’s true for any image you use! Here are some handy links to social media brand resources for you.

Content is King

Make sure the content on your platforms is something that will interest your audience. In this example, I encouraged them to use their Facebook page as a method of communication regarding events, cancellations, fundraisers etc. while also posting content that is interesting to the larger, potential rowing community. Of course, also use your email list to communicate in case people don’t see these posts, but many people, especially in this demographic, rely on social media as their primary mode of communication. Make sure to include your social media profiles in all your emails too.

Also, when crafting your social media posts, don’t assume your potential audience understands your lingo. Remember you are trying to stimulate interest with people who don’t know you. Explain every post clearly and use an image or video to support your content. I hate to see a compelling story or worthwhile community event get lost in translation because people don’t understand your content.

Use Facebook Events Feature

Rather than just posting about your event in a standard post, use the event feature to create an event. Facebook events allow you to add location (connects to your phone’s map app), hours, URLs for tickets, description of events and photos. They also create their own group that allows attendees and the creator of the event to post teasers, additional details and more. These posts will be shared in the timelines of anyone that showed interest in your event. Bonus: attendees can share the events AND invite their friends easily.

Make sure to use your other platforms to cross-promote the event. Each event you create will have its own unique URL which can be shared on Twitter for example.

Here’s an event as an example. Hover over that share button to choose who to invite from your friends’ list.

Facebook events allow users to share and invite anyone in their own friends’ list.

Use Facebook Live Video During your Event

Back to my friend.

She described to me a recent event that sounded exciting! People watching were cheering and clapping and the tension was palpable. Those kids were amazing with their skill and endurance!

If you’re looking for creative ways to promote an event, here’s a perfect example of where Facebook live could be a great option. Facebook live is getting more reach than any other type of post right now, so it’s a great time for brands to get on board. Facebook pushes promotions of the live event directly to people’s mobile devices, so they do some of the promoting for you. I spoke about using Facebook Live as well as YouTube to promote brands at a recent statewide conference, and here’s the link to the presentation I gave:

Use Instagram to Connect with Younger Audiences

With 700 million active users, Instagram is a fantastic way to connect with audiences, so think about including it in your social media event marketing strategy. In this example, the visual content; boats, water, happy kids, would lend itself well to the platform and to the younger demographic. A recent study by Social Media Today using Google Trends shows that Instagram Stories are at least TWO TIMES more popular than rival Snapchat stories, so use the story feature during events! I point this out because many of you will say: Junior High and High School – we HAVE to be on Snapchat!

Not necessarily.

Unless you understand the platform and how to grow an audience there, do your research before jumping in. Since, in this case, they were already using Instagram, it makes sense to leverage the audience they have rather than invest energy into growing a new one on another platform.

Hint: one drawback of Instagram, unless you are using the business feature, links in descriptions aren’t clickable. If you’re a business or non-profit, consider converting your account to take advantage of this feature. Also, make sure you at least have your website in your bio and, if you have a special event, there’s no reason you can’t change that link temporarily to point to it and tell people in the description.

Business Instagram accounts allow users to call and email you directly

Initiate Social Media Account Takeovers

If you want kids and parents involved, I recommended having a participant or parent take over your accounts during an event. Not only will this get them engaged, but also give you valuable insight into what THEY think is post-worthy and exciting. You’ll be able to tell by what they posted during their takeover. Facebook allows you to easily give another user an editor role (don’t give them admin unless you want them to have full control). For Twitter and Instagram, you’ll have to give them the username and password, which you’ll then change after the event.

Some tips before you do a takeover:

Promote the social media takeover before it happens

Take a photo of the student or parent and introduce them to your audience beforehand with a descriptive post. Describe the event they’ll be taking over and why you chose them for the honor. Include their bio and how they are involved in the program. Ask them to promote the fact that they’ll be taking over the account in advance too, in order to encourage more participation.

Choose your social media ambassador wisely

Make sure you can trust this ambassador with spelling, grammar, and responsible content. Consider interviewing them and looking at their public social profiles before you agree. It’s an honor and a privilege to be trusted with someone’s brand, so treat it as such.

Use Signage to Promote your Event

Making banners or posters for your organization or event? Include your social media profiles! Is your event visible to the public, make sure your workers are wearing t-shirts that include your hashtag and put up temporary signs to follow and engage.

Include Attendees in your Social Media Content

During the event, ask attendees and participants if you can take a photo of them with their phone, then give them the hashtag you are using so they can post it. Or take a photo yourself, get their permission to post (in writing is best) and tell them where they can find the photo – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. In most cases, if people are included in a photo they will tag themselves and/or share it. This is social media gold.

Important: ALWAYS get permission before you post a photo of a person. For minors, you often need a parent’s permission to post. In a case like this, it’s a good idea to build that written permission into your entry forms and to consult your organization’s attorney before proceeding. Nothing’s worse than getting hit with problems for posting photos without permission. Buzz kill.

These are all fairly simple organic ways to promote your content and increase reach and engagement. The most important thing you can think about is your audience. What is going to entice them to engage and share? Then promote that content like crazy. That’s how you build a community of engagers.

To make sure you’re all rowing in the same direction, I’m always happy to provide reviews! Just contact me or send me a tweet @suereynolds

I live my life in social media, so when I’m off duty and traveling I go through the same argument in my head.

How much should I share?

There’s the school of thought that says, don’t brag about your vacations on social. You know the cliche – bare feet on the sand on Instagram.

On the beach in Truro, Greece in March 2015. Too cold for bare feet but you get the idea.

But then, I have people tell me how much they enjoy my photos and how they feel like they’ve been on vacation with me. After years of traveling and arguably, oversharing, I’m now getting genuine requests for things my friends want to see. Under my initial post on a recent trip to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, I received the following request:

On this trip, I’d like to go to the Concentration Camps, see where the Berlin Wall used to be… And any other cool places you find along the way! Thanks! – Lisa

So yes, I obliged with photos from Dachau Concentration Camp, a section of the Berlin Wall and a sunlit trip to the Alps and Austria.

The gates of Dachau read: Work is the path to freedom.

A section of the Berlin Wall in Nuremberg, Germany

After years of traveling and sharing, here’s what I’ve learned about social media and travel.

Facebook

This is my most used platform when I travel. It’s easy to get carried away and post all day about the exciting things you’re seeing, but I find it best to use my time at the end of the day, and the hotel wifi (when abroad I don’t pay for an international service) to reflect on what I what I want to share, then post an album of the day’s photos with a detailed explanation of what I learned along the way. The fact that I don’t have international service is deliberate, in that I don’t want to have my face in my phone all day. Instead, I want to absorb what I’m experiencing, and then reflect in the hotel over a glass of wine about the day’s events. I use these posts on Facebook as a journal and it’s fun when Facebook, years later, shows me “this day four years ago” in my feed.

If you do have an international service plan you could also do the following:

Go live – stream whatever you are seeing and hearing directly into your friends’ feeds. That wonderful aria in Florence, Italy. Broadcast it. My son and I came up on this in 2016 while strolling the streets of Florence. I have no words.

Use events – if you have free time, use Facebook events to find local art, sports and music events. You might even snag tickets to that jazz event you’ve been looking for in New Orleans. Trust me, you don’t want to miss that.

My favorite jazz club in New Orleans

Use groups – if you’re traveling in a group like I do, create a Facebook group to share logistics details and make suggestions. It’s like a message board, and it’s a great way to stay organized. After the trip, use the group to share thoughts and photos of your experiences.

Instagram

With the multitude of filters, Instagram is a foolproof way to showcase your travel photos. Keep in mind that the audience on Instagram isn’t as tolerant of multiple posts per day, so try to keep your posts to one or two a day at the most. Be generous with your hashtags though. Using up to 30 will allow your photos to be exposed to people outside your following circle and you may just discover some new experts along the way. The most underused feature is the search option. For example, type “Rothenberg” in the search window and you’ll see all the photos, most popular and most recent, posted in the results. Using this feature I discovered we could walk on the wall in Rothenberg, something I would not have known if it weren’t for the app. And away we went….

Climbing the wall in Rothenberg, Germany

Twitter

If Facebook is your friend circle, Twitter is the world. Depending on what type of audience you’ve assembled here, feel free to post with abandon. But don’t get so caught up in sharing that you forget the other uses. You might find last-minute deals on flash sales by using specific destinations, keywords or hashtags like #traveldeals. Following experts like The Points Guy (@thepointsguy) will help you learn to maximize your awards points.

Twitter is also great for customer service for airline snafus, hotel mixups etc. When my son and I were delayed 14 hours on a recent trip to Denver, Colorado (Frontier, cough, Frontier) you can bet I took to Twitter about it. We made it, but not without a lot of inconvenience.

My son Johnathan and I in the Colorado Rockies.

Hint: many social media agents are more empowered than their phone counterparts, not always, but it’s worth trying your luck. I received a $300 voucher for complaining on Twitter.

Flickr

Perhaps Yahoo’s last and only product worth mentioning here, Flickr gives you one Terabyte of free storage. I use Flickr to upload my best photos after I return home. You can choose the type of copyright you wish to give and allow full use or restrict. It’s up to you. Personally, I find it fun to know someone used one of my photos in a blog etc.

Hashtags

Use hashtags as a universal way of finding what you need. Like Hansel and Gretel in the Black Forest in Germany, use them to find your way to whatever is interesting or useful to you. I use #traveltuesday, #lovetravel or #visit(nameofcountry) to find interesting and relevant information. I also use those when posting to Instagram to widen my reach and expose my audience to what I learned.

Google Photos

As an Android user I can’t say enough about this app. Without my doing anything, Google photos uploaded everything from my recent trip to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, made an album, inserted maps and organized the photos chronologically. All I had to do was share the album. It also allowed me to collaborate with my son Johnathan, who accompanied me on the trip.

“The best place to hide a dead body is Page 2 of Google’s search results.”

Arnie Kuehn, Vertical Measures

You already know the value of creating great, quality content that helps your customers. Putting out that content for free is part of your strategy to create a body of work that helps potential customers with decision making. But what do you do when that content doesn’t show up in search results and isn’t driving the traffic you’d hoped? Here’s a few tips to optimize your existing content so that it ranks better.

Avoid using the same title tag across multiple pages.

If you’re using a WordPress plug-in like Yoast SEO it will ding you for this. Why? Using different title tags for your pages helps to tell search engines what your page is about. Using the same one, or none at all, confuses the search engines and implies that the page isn’t as valuable as you k now it is.If you don’t know what a title tag is, MOZ has a great Title Tag tutorial here.

Reduce page load time by optimizing images

That beautiful header image you downloaded from your image provider, like 123rf.com, is probably slowing down your page load time if you haven’t sized it or optimized it. Page load time is more important than ever, and search engines will rank slowly loading pages lower. Resize that image outside of your website using a program like Canva or even Paint, then run it through a compressor like Compressor.io before uploading it.

Make sure your keywords are in the right places

Say you want to rank for “Content Marketing.” Make sure Content Marketing is in your title, your first paragraph, your header tags, your last paragraph and, if you’re really trying, your image alt tags and titles. Don’t stuff your keywords though. You’ll be penalized rather than rewarded. Including more than one keyword in your content is especially important these days, so use a tool like Google Keyword Planner to help get ideas. See what other keywords are suggested, then go back and optimize your content for those words as well. Hint: you don’t have to be running AdWords to use this tool.

While the keyword meta tag isn’t that useful now, it won’t hurt to include your keywords there either. It’s a good idea to include your keyword in the meta description too, but remember that meta descriptions are not a ranking mechanism, rather a valuable description of the content for the user.

Optimize content ranking on page 2 or 3 of the results page

Do a quick search on the keyword or phrase for which you want your pages to display. Then click through the search engine results until you find it. If you find your content on page 2 or 3, try using these tips on that content first to improve the ranking. Check back regularly to see how it’s doing.

Remember that traffic can also drop to a site redesign or a poor user experience in general. If you’ve recently redesigned your site, check all these things to make sure you aren’t being penalized.Overall, the search engines want to serve up quality, helpful content to their users. If your content is helpful, answers questions, especially niche questions, and is well written and thoughtful, you’ll be well on your way to meeting the same goals as the search engines.

Overall, search engines like Google want to serve up quality, helpful content to their users. If your content is helpful, answers questions, especially niche questions, and is well written, focused and thoughtful, you’ll be well on your way to meeting the same goals as the search engines.

]]>https://carminemedia.com/2016/10/04/the-value-of-seo-how-to-improve-rankings-on-existing-content/feed/0carminemediastacked-boxes-600Complaining Customers and Social Media: How to Make Them Happy Againhttps://carminemedia.com/2015/07/19/complaining-customers-and-social-media-how-to-make-them-happy-again/
https://carminemedia.com/2015/07/19/complaining-customers-and-social-media-how-to-make-them-happy-again/#respondSun, 19 Jul 2015 16:06:13 +0000http://carminemedia.com/?p=69058

Listening for and responding to customer complaints is critical for your brand’s reputation

Dealing with customer complaints as they arise is an important part of maintaining your brand’s reputation. Consumers are twice as likely to share a bad customer service experience than they are to share a positive one, according to the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer. When dealing with complaints, keep the following in mind to get the best results for both your customer and your business.

Get Past the Anger

Sometimes, the hardest part of dealing with a customer complaint is avoiding becoming defensive. The truth is, you cannot assume that because a customer is angry their complaint is invalid. Ask yourself exactly what caused the problem — did your customer service fail them, was your site’s copy unclear, or was it an infrastructural problem? Identify the exact failing that brought them to this point. Don’t dismiss a complaint because a customer may be less than articulate in expressing their frustration. Try to dig and find out why.

Track and Record

Some customers will complain repeatedly. Some are chronic complainers online while others have truthfully encountered every problem that exists with your product or service. Being able to sort through these complaints requires organization and consistency across all channels. If you’re running a small business, think about using a cloud -based call center software to keep records of customer preferences and history to provide a consistent customer service experience. If you’re a corporate social media community manager, make sure you’re able to record your customer service interactions on your corporate customer service platform. Break down those silos. In either case being able to track and sort your interactions will help you make process decisions to improve quality overall.

Take Responsibility

Nothing upsets a customer with a complaint like being told the problem is their fault or sweeping the complaint under the virtual rug. On social media it can be tempting to delete the offending comment. Don’t. Instead, go back to step one and try to find out more. When responding use language that shows you are listening and genuinely want to help. If you know you or your company messed up, opt for language that instantly defuses frustration by accepting blame: “I am sorry our product did not meet our normal standard of quality,” or even a simple “We are sorry to disappoint you.” Then, try to take the conversation offline as soon as possible. Route them to your customer service team or have them message you an email or phone contact and continue the conversation there. Your social media audience will appreciate the transparency and your angry customer will feel heard.

Move Quickly

Automation has made our lives easier, but can also leave customers in limbo. HelpScout reports found on a Harris Interactive poll that 75 percent of customers believe it takes too long to reach a live agent. While this is a subjective response coming from frustrated customers, the lesson is still clear. Connect upset customers with an actual person as soon as possible. If you’re on social media, try to respond within 30 minutes of their original post. If you’re transferring a customer via phone keep it under two minutes. Be sure they understand the next person will be better suited to helping them. There is nothing worse than waiting for an answer, especially when you are frustrated.

Customers have more avenues to complain about your products and services than ever before. Make sure you are capturing all those conversations and responding in a way that diffuses the situation and provides an agreeable solution. The best possible outcome? You’ll turn that complaining customer into a customer advocate for life.

As we move into the second half of 2015, it’s no great secret that well-produced video content is among the most powerful tools for reaching your audience online. In fact, a recent survey by the video hosting company Vidyard found that 70 percent of marketers reported better performance in converting leads with video than with other types of content. Many organizations, however, still fail to effectively implement video into their marketing efforts — in fact, less than 10 percent of marketers are actually making use of video analytics to boost lead qualifications and customer insights.

Don’t be discouraged by thinking that video is too expensive and time-consuming; it doesn’t have to be. The benefits outweigh the costs when it comes to video and your overall marketing efforts. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Say More with Less

When compared with the written word, video offers a more multifaceted approach to communicating ideas and evoking emotion. Live captured video can show the expression on someone’s face and the subtly of their body language, and motion graphics can be used to highlight key details. Music and sound effects can impact the viewer’s mood and encourage them to become more receptive to the ideas presented visually. This is why studies have found that search engine results that feature a video are much more likely to be clicked on than pages without video. By simply identifying the video player on the page, viewers may become more receptive to the content they are about to digest because they recognize that it is being presented in a carefully-planned, dynamic, and engaging way.

Connect With Your Audience

One of the best ways to foster a relationship with current and potential clients is to create and distribute video content that directly addresses their needs.

One company that uses video effectively to reach their audience is Apple Rubber. Take a look at this Apple Rubber post about their use of video to showcase products and discuss company initiatives. They also successfully infuse their videos with entertainment, which encourages community building and offers more opportunities for viewer engagement.

Before you start producing your own videos, find a way to define your core audience and identify ways to connect with them. Work to create relatable, relevant content that will spark a conversation around your message and encourage a community to congregate around your brand.

Fit in Your Budget

Skip costly camera equipment and produce good-quality video within even the tightest budget by using a smartphone. Video capabilities on today’s devices can deliver a professional-looking video with a steady hand and a little planning.

Visit sites that provide a wide range of advice on piecing together a DIY video production kit without spending more than a couple hundred dollars, as well as tips and tricks for producing a video.

Although you can get higher-quality, professionally-produced videos by partnering with a professional media firm, DIY videos are the perfect way to give video a try and become acclimated to incorporating video into your overall marketing strategy.

Have you had success using video in your marketing? Share with me in the comments.

]]>https://carminemedia.com/2015/06/10/you-can-and-should-integrate-video-into-your-marketing-campaign/feed/1carminemediavideo marketingHow to Remove Spam Referral Sites from WordPress.Com Reportshttps://carminemedia.com/2015/05/24/how-to-remove-spam-referral-sites-from-wordpress-com-reports/
https://carminemedia.com/2015/05/24/how-to-remove-spam-referral-sites-from-wordpress-com-reports/#respondSun, 24 May 2015 17:07:59 +0000http://carminemedia.com/?p=68570If you’re using WordPress.com as your blogging engine you’ve probably noticed an increase in spam referral sites in your reports over the last few weeks and months. Sites such as buttons-for-your-websites and best-seo-offer are showing up as referrals on most new WordPress sites and are pushing down legitimate referral traffic, skewing your numbers and making a mess of your analytic reports.

If you’re using WordPress.com there’s an easy way to remove these. Here’s how to remove spam referral sites from your reports.

1. Visit your WordPress.com Dashboard and click on View All in stats.

2. Click on Summaries under Referrers

3. Hover over the spam referrer site. You’ll see the option for spam? display next to the site.

Click the option for “Spam?” and WordPress.com will automatically filter out those referral traffic visits from your reports.

This is just another way WordPress.com makes it easy to start and maintain a blog without needing a lot of technical knowledge. If you have other WordPress.com shortcuts like this let me know in the comments!

According to social media scheduling tool Buffer, 35 percent of fans like a company’s page on Facebook so they can participate in a contest. Contests drive customer engagement, increase your social media influence and collect valuable feedback from your target market. Even businesses with small budgets can take cues from powerhouse brands on how to run a powerful social media contest. Take a look at what big brands are doing to engage fans and redefine themselves as leaders in their industries.

Dove

Dove brands itself as a company committed to their customers’ personal beauty potential. This translates to ads and social campaigns that promote self-esteem and the use of models that look like everyday women. The company launched a “Real Beauty Should Be Shared” Facebook contest, enticing fans to share a photo and list two things that made their friends beautiful in that picture. The winners got to be the next face of Dove. Their savvy, low-cost prize made a big impact and can be duplicated by businesses small and large. Look to see what your business can offer winners, whether it’s a free service or giving them a job as a product ambassador.

SportsCenter

SportsCenter asked its millions of Facebook fans to rank their favorite “This is SportsCenter” ads. Jason Sudeikis from Saturday Night Live appeared in numerous promos to help spread awareness for the campaign. Fan votes then determined the order of the top 10 commercials that aired on an ESPN special. While you may not have the same budget to give away thousands of Burger King gift cards like SportsCenter did, you can use unique gift cards and other products to entice involvement.

Eggo

Waffles aren’t exactly known for being innovative or especially creative, but Eggo managed to infuse new life into the industry by teaming up with International Waffle Day to launch an “Eggo Your Way Contest.” Fans submitted their own waffle-based recipes to win cash prizes of up to $10,000 or to be one of the eight winners receiving a year’s supply of Eggos. The contest went viral and resulted in more entries than the brand anticipated. Businesses can replicate the success that Eggo received by offering cash prizes and products, but more importantly they can give their fans a unique way to win.

Kryptoz Media & BitPages

Facebook contests don’t have to be complicated or involve much fan interaction. For example, Kryptoz Media and BitPages teamed up to give away a Bitcoin car. Users were only required to like the company’s Facebook page, sign up at BitPages.co and refer the contest to their friends. They also included an email sign-up form to capture leads. This type of contest is easy for companies looking to break into the world of Facebook promotions while simultaneously generating leads. It also simplifies the process for fans to enter. You may not have a car to give away, but you can offer free products, a seminar or helpful services for your new customer base.

Harlan Coben

Mystery and thriller novelist Harlan Coben used a personality test on Facebook to give away his books as prizes. The test gave the author insight into his fans and what they wanted. Users were also required to sign up for a newsletter and explained why subscribers would find it useful. This type of Facebook campaign can offer insights about what customers want from your products and services and also give you a way to reach out to them in the future.

R+L Carriers

Every December during the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl my social team runs a game long contest, giving away bowl gear like t-shirts, footballs and even gift cards to college libraries. It’s a great way to expose the brand to a new audience and ramp up engagement around the game while gathering user-generated content for next year’s promotions.

Before running a contest be sure to check with your legal department or research online the rules for running a sweepstakes in your region. You’ll need to draft rules of entry and explain the value of the prizes, among other guidelines, and post them where they accessible to anyone entering the contest, preferably on your website.

Have you had success with social media contests? Let me know in the comments, or tweet me @suereynolds. I’d love to hear from you!

]]>https://carminemedia.com/2015/05/14/social-media-contests-ideas-prizes-and-customer-engagement/feed/0carminemediaSocial media contests can drive customer engagement8 Ways to Spruce Up Your Brand’s Social Media Presencehttps://carminemedia.com/2015/03/27/8-ways-to-spruce-up-your-brands-social-media-presence/
https://carminemedia.com/2015/03/27/8-ways-to-spruce-up-your-brands-social-media-presence/#commentsFri, 27 Mar 2015 12:00:00 +0000http://carminemedia.com/?p=49709Running a profitable operation presents its own set of challenges for small business owners. And if they’re not in an industry that’s appealing to the masses, chances are they’ve struggled at some point or another to successfully market their unique products or services. Fortunately, social media presents the opportunity to increase brand awareness in a fun and engaging manner.

Here are some ideas to consider along with ways in which certain companies have used social media to expand their reach.

1. Post Useful Content

Your followers are crunched for time, so you must post content that captivates their attention and adds value to their lives. Otherwise, they will simply overlook future posts or unfollow your company page. Identity theft protection, for example, isn’t necessarily a sexy industry, but LifeLock has a sizeable social media following because their posts provide useful tidbits of wisdom regarding identity theft and ways to protect yourself. And with identity theft rates on the rise, who wouldn’t want to have access to this pertinent information?

2. Skip the Sales Pitch

Consumers dislike the idea of being sold. Instead, they prefer to be in charge of the purchasing decision and move at their own pace. But if you’re constantly shoving sales pitches down their throats via social media, they may become irritated and take their business elsewhere.

3. Encourage Feedback

Even if you’re in an industry that may not be exciting to the average consumer, loyal supporters take pride in knowing you value their opinion and want them to be a part of the conversation. In fact, Starbucks has taken the solicitation of customer feedback to another level by creating @MyStarbucksIdea, a Twitter page solely dedicated to customer experience.

4. Switch It Up

Not only should you avoid posting identical content across platforms, but what you post should also be diverse. Some followers prefer videos while others take a liking to infographics. The idea is to provide a little something for everyone. And don’t forget to share useful content from other pages.

5. Mascot or Spokesperson

It doesn’t take a massive marketing budget to implement a mascot or spokesperson into your branding strategy. To effectively do so, consider creating a Twitter and Facebook profile for your new symbol and infusing it with a dose of humor so your followers can connect with it. Just think of Mayhem from AllState, who not only serves up a good dose of amusement via television but has his own Twitter and Facebook pages where he keeps the laughs going.

6. Infuse a Little Humor

There’s not much one can say about toilet paper beyond its texture, but that didn’t prevent Charmin from creating a strong social media presence. The clever Twitter hashtag, “tweetfromtheseat,” has soared Charmin’s following to new heights and changed the way consumers nationwide view toilet paper.

7. Product Giveaways

Host a contest or giveaway to attract new customers. But remember, the key is to get participants to spread the word about your brand as a condition of entering to win. Encourage customers to do so through a testimonial, product review, or simply by sharing the company page with friends.

8. Consistency is the Key

If you’re crunched for time or considering ditching your social media efforts altogether, take a step back and develop a posting strategy. Once you’ve done so, use a social media management platform like HootSuite to Tweetdeck to schedule your posts in advance to ensure you remain on schedule. It may take several months to see results, but the effort and hard work won’t be in vain.

What are your ideas for sprucing up your brand? Let me know in the comments, or tweet me @suereynolds. I’d love to hear from you.

Before the award ceremony, I challenge myself each year to see EVERY single film that’s been nominated for an Oscar for best picture. It’s typically a race against the clock (or the weekends) and I usually come up short by at least one or two films. But still, I try. My big dream is to host an Oscar party with wine, expertly-made hors d’oeuvres a-la Martha Stewart and glamour. Yes, the attire is formal. I’d put out a red carpet and make little Oscar name tags for everyone and serve Oscar-themed cocktails.

Get real.

My family lives in another state and my friends are scattered all over the country. This is never going to happen. I’m ok with that though. I can be part of the biggest Oscar party ever on social media.

Why I think Social Media makes the BEST Oscar Parties

The Oscars: Facebook Versus Twitter

I typically post to both throughout the event, but they are decidedly different experiences. Here’s what I’ve noticed.

The Oscars: Twitter

I love Twitter for events. Last year’s Ellen DeGeneres photo (above) that actually broke Twitter, taking down its servers for several minutes, is an example. All of us watching were part of that in real time. It allowed us to be present for the event in a way no medium, other than the first broadcast of the Oscars on television in 1953, has ever done. Following the event on Twitter is like being at the world’s biggest Oscar party, snarky comments and all. I, like everyone else at the party, tweet out my opinions and cheer on my favorites throughout the broadcast, or at least the part during which I’m still awake. I do have to work in the morning. It’s also where I watch what other brands are doing, some of which are doing great things.

I’d love to say I get tons of engagement on my tweets, but really I don’t. I’m never going to break Twitter. My tweets are a blip in the feed, which runs faster than I can refresh. Where do I get my engagement during events like the Oscars?

Facebook.

The Oscars: Facebook

Our personal Facebook feed is a closed group of friends. Mine is filled with people I know, many of which I would actually invite to my fantasy party if they lived close by. Yes I overshare on nights like tonight and yes, I’m sometimes snarky. But I get engagement and comments on my posts. Because these are my actual friends and family. They, like me, have a personal investment in the relationship, if only digital.

If I were to really ramp it up, I’d start a private Facebook event for tonight, invite my friends and then agree to all meet there and share photos, comments and more. What fun! Maybe next year.

Public Posts

For those posting, like me, on Facebook, remember if you have the ability for people to follow you turned on and you make your posts public with a hashtag, they will be visible to everyone in the hashtag feed, even people outside your friend list. If you’re posting on Twitter and don’t have your tweets protected, then everything is public.

So tonight I’ll be watching and sharing my unsolicited opinions. If you want to follow me on Twitter, you can @suereynolds. If you want to be part of my community on Facebook, you can follow me there. My comments will be public and part of the hashtag feed.

Let the snarkiness begin.

What’s your favorite way to celebrate the Oscars and other events?

]]>https://carminemedia.com/2015/02/22/social-media-the-best-oscar-party-ever/feed/0carminemediaWhy I think Social Media makes the BEST Oscar Parties